Shell for high explosives.



No. 672,827. Patented Apr. 23, |901. L. GATHMANN. SHELL FDR HIGH EXPLOSIVES.

(Application mea Nov. 2s, 189e.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheat vl.

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Patented Apr. 23, 190|.

4 Sheets Sheet 2..

' L. GA HM N. SHELL FDH H XPLUSIVES.

(Application led ov. 25, 1898.)

No. 672,827. I Patented Apr. 23, |90l.

- L. GATHMANN.

SHELL FOR HIGH EXPLOSIVES.

(Application led Nov. 25, 1898.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

@No Model.)

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L UNITED STATES` PATENT or parafned guncotton.

LOUIS GATIIMANN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR To' THE e-A'IIIMANN TORPEDO GUN COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE,

f V,sI-iELl. FOR HIGH ExPLosivEs.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 672,827, dated April 2,3, 1901.

Y A Applioationiiled November 25, 1898. Serial No. 697,384. (No model.) I A To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

yBe it known that I, LOUIS .GATHMANN, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new'and useful Improvements in Shells for High EXplosives,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shells for high ex plosives,and more particularly to safety-f uses therefor, and lhas for its object to provide a construction whereby the fuse, which comprises the priming charge and detonator, shall be positively held separated fromthe bursting charge within the shell proper before rin g the gun, andshall be similarly held by the pressure of the gases caused on firing the gun' until after the discharge ofthe shell from the gun.

To these ends my invention consists in certain novel features which I will now proceed to' describe andwill then particularly point ont in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an enlarged detail' view in half-section of a shell and fuse embodying myinvention in one form. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same,takenon theline 2 2 of Fig.1. Fig. 3 is a view illustrating a modified construction. Fig, 4 is a'detail view of Aa portion of Fig. 3, and Fig.` 5 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating myimprovements as applied to an armor-piercing shell. i Referring first to the lparticular construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, l0 indicates the body of the shell the interior of whichcon tains, inclosed within a suitable thin casing 11, a bursting charge 12, preferably of wet The shell is provided with a breech-plug 13, which is preferably so constructed asto fit the base of the ordinary regulation Shell, being threaded to screw into place and serving to carry the fuse, which is inclosed in a separate shell or cuplike stock 14, which screws into-the breechplug 13 in the manner shown in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings. This separateshell-or stock contains a fuse-chamberl. The fuse comprises a thin metallic case A16, inclosing a detonating charge 1'? of dry guncotton.

rating-partition (indicated as a 'whole by the.

5o reference-numeral 18) comprises al body por- 'tion18a, whichisannnlar invshape and provided with'a centrally-threaded opening, and a threaded plug portion 18, which screws into said opening and completes the partition. Itwill b e noted that the partition is of considerable thickness, extending some distance longitudinally of the shell. The forward portion of the fuse-chamber is enlarged to receive the partition 18, the rear end of whichis reduced, s0 as to extend into thev smaller' portion of the fuse-chamber or fuse-chamber proper, there being thnsx formed a'shoulder" Main the fuse-chamber, against which abuts a similar shoulder 18c on the partition. 19 indicates the detonator-stock, which as a'matter of convenience is formed infonepiece with the plug 18b and which is closed at its free end by a screw-plug 2,0, said stock having a thinned or reduced wall- 21, adapted to be ruptured by the explosion of the charge of the detonator..A This latter consists'of a charge of fulminate 22, carried bya plunger 23, mounted in the stock 19 and retained in position by a break-pin 24 and adapted to be exploded by the contact of the forward end of the plunger with the rear end of the plug A18h, the

forward end of the plunger beingshod with a percussion-cap 25 for thispurpose. The separming-partition 18 is held against longit-udinal movement by means of pins 26, which are'v mounted to moveradiallyin apertures in the shell or stock 14 and which when in their innerrnost positions engage apertures ora groove 27 in the partition 18. The heads of these pins are provided with packing-rings 28 to prevent ingress of the gases of the exploding charge to the dry gu-'nnotton of the priming-charge, and I they pins themselves are held in place in -engagement withthe partitioubyineansof blocks or studs 29', of com pressed powder or other combustible substance, which are pressed or held against the' heads of the pins by any suitable means, such as screw-plugs 30, having a central aperture31,' which permits the flame generated bythe explosion of the powder constitutingithe expelling charge to have access to said blocks or studs of colnf I pressed powder. A, 1 y

The breech-plug. 13 has acentral apertre of a diameter slightly greater than that of the partition 18, and therefis secured. on-the inner side of said' breech-pluga detonating said stock, and 4 thus forminga detonating-vchamber of a diameter equal to that of the.v

partition 18.

Under normal conditions the partition 18, l

which is of great thickness, intervenes between the priming charge and bursting charge, being held in position by the pins 26,

so that any accidental explosion of the prim "ing charge within the fuse will be prevented from having such access to the Wet guncotton in the' body of the shell as will explode this latter, so that such explosion,while it may destroy the walls of the fuse-chamber, will not explode the bursting charge of lthe shell. -When the shell /is being discharged from the gun, however, the fiames of the expelling charge willv have access through the apertures 31 to the powder-studs 29, and these latter willv burn out, so Ythat the locking-pins 26 Willbe free to move radially outward u'nder the vinfluence of the centrifugal force generated by the whirling of th'e shell after the shell has passed from the gun. vIt will be ob'- served, however, that while the shell still remains in the gun during its ight the pressure of the gases produced by the firing charge einployed in expelling the shell is exerted upon the outer heads 'of the locking-pins 26, and

these latter are therefore irmlyheld in engagement with the partition 18 and preclude its longitudinal movement until the shell has passed l clear of the gun and the pressure has been removed from the outer or exposed heads of the locking-pins. After theshell has passed clear of the gun the pins 26`are free to move radially outward under the influence of the centrifu gal force generated by the whirling of the shell', and the partition 18 is Ithereby freed, along with the fuse, and will move forward into the Adetonating-chalnber, with thefuse in close proximity to the Ibursting charge of thev shell; It should be noted thatupon the dis- 'charge of the shell from the gun the break-pin 24 is broken by the setting back ofthe plunger 23,0w'ing to the inertia'of this latter. Upon impact the said plunger will move forward, and by the contact of its cap 25 with the partition 18 will explode its charge of fulminate,

' 'whereupon the priming charge 17'of the fuse will be exploded, and this in turn will explode the bursting charge 12 of the shell; Thelongitudinally-movable-partition-which I have devised yis advantageous 'not only for the reason that it renders it practicable to'em-l ploy apartition of great thickness, 'but also because there is not that liability'of partial movement onl5T which might exist wherea"lat-I erally-moving partition -i's used, which partial movement would ofcourse prevent the prim'- ing charge of the fuse from being brought intol juxtaposition to the burstingcharge' of the shell. Moreover, the strength of the base of the-shell is increased'b'y reason ofthe absence of the lateral recesses,l whichare necessary lwhen laterallymoving partitions are employed. I also deem it advantageous to so connect the partition and fuse that in practice they form a single body and move in unison, although such a construction is of course not an essential feature of my invention.

While yI deem the combustible blocks or studs a desirable and efficient means for hold ing the locking-pins in position prior to the discharge of the gun, I do not Wish to be un derstood as limiting myself to this particular means, as other means may be employed, and

in Eig. 3 of the drawings I have shown a modified construction. In this case each lockingpin-26 is provided with an aperture or passage 48, extending transversely of said pin, said aperture or passage registering with a similar aperture or passage 49,' formed in a sleeve' 50,.v which is threaded or otherwise inserted and secured in the shoulder 14a of the fuse chamber or stock 14. lindicates `a pin which'is adapted to move longitudinally in the passages 48 and 49 and which is of less length than the passage 48. This pin is held in position in thesleeve 50 byvmeans of a break-pin 52 in such a manner that it projects beyond the sleeve 50 and into the aperture 48 in the pin 26. The action of this mechanism isas follows: Upon the discharge ofthe gun the pressure of the gases will force the pins' 51 forward `into the apertures 48, breaking the pins 52` The pins 51, being shorter than the apertures.

48, do not project beyond said apertures, and the pins 26 are therefore free to move outward, except for the pressure of the gases of the gun upon their heads, said vpressure retaining them in position until the shell has passed from the gun, when they move outward by'centrifugal force and release the separating-partition. In this construction I have shown the separating-partition 18 as formed IOO IIO

in a single -piece insteadof in two pieces, as

shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the shoulder .14a of the previously-described construction is dispensed with. The caseflisvof la'diameter equal to that of the-partition 18, and the detonator-stock 19'screws directly into the rear end of said' partition. A break-pin 53A in front and in the path of the plunger-23 serves to prevent contact of the cap25 thereof with the partition 18 until impact'of the shell, while a soft-metal 'pin 54 at thev 'real-end of said lplunger takes up 'the shock ofifirin'g. I have valso'shown` in vthisrfigure a construction wherein thelocking-pins 26 are provided with segmentarshes 55, which et within'the gioove'2f7'of thefpartition and serve to more eifectually lockf'samathis feature being shown' in detail rn- Fig.- Lief the drawings,

*In Fig', 50i-the 'drawings I have shownmy invention as .ff'tpplied'j to an Avarmor-piercing shell, 'in' whichy constrnctionthe breech-plug 13 landstockA 14 are 'made in a'single piece- L" Between the breechi-pluis,r andthe bursting charge 12 is placed a diaphragm 56 of thin erasery metal, y means of sistance to the forward movement of the fuse,

the shell is made a delayed-action shell. The remaining features of construction shown in this ligure will be readily understood from y what precedes without particular d escri p tion The se veral features hereinbefore described may be combined in various ways, and some of them, although desirable, may be omitted or modified Without departing from the principle of my invention, and Itherefore do'v not wish to be understood as4 limiting myself strictly to the precise details of construction hereinbeforedescribed and shown in the drawings.

I claim- 1. A high-explosive shell comprising sepapriming or detonating charge located rear- Vvmal position and adapted nioved during the flight of Ward thereof, a longitudinally-movable partition separating said chambers when in norwhen free to be the shell to open' communication between them, locking devices' for holding said partition in its normal position, retaining devicesfor holding said I locking devices in their normal position, said retaining devices being ada'pted to release the locking devices upon the discharge of the gun, and said locking devices being exposed to and retained in` position by the pressure of the gases in the gun until discharged therefrom and being adaptedto release the movable partition when so discharged, substantially as described.

3. A high-explosive shell comprising-sepa- Which, owing to its rerate chambers for the bursting charge and riming `or detonating charge, a longitudially-movable partition normally separating said chambers, locking-pins normally engag` ing said partition, and combustible blocks or studs arranged to hold in their normal 5o said locking-pins position and exposed to the gases of the firing charge, substantially as described.

main chamber 4. A high-explosive shell provided with a containing a bursting charge, separate or isolated chamber containing -av riming or detonating charge located rearward of the main chamber, a partition normally separating said chambers and adapted when released to slide freely longitudinally of the shell, and means for locking said partition in its normal the discharge of stantially as described.

fuseway therein, of a or closed position until the shell'irom the gun, sub- 6 5 5. The combination, with a shell having a separable fuse stock adapted to be connected thereto, a partition able `in said. fuseway tothe interior of the partition and lthe discharge of the shell stantially as described. 75

closing the frontend of or detonating charge'within the stock, radial locking-pins extending nd detonating devices longitudinally movand'stock when free nd locking-pins extending from the exterior said fuse-stock, 'engaging adapted to be released by from the gum-sub- 6. A fuse for high-explosive shells, coinrising a stock adapted to be attached to the ase of the shell, a sliding block or partition said stock, a priming from the exterior of thestcclz into engagement with the block oring-pins adapted to artition, and retaining devices for said lock be released upon the'd1scharge of the gun, substantially as described. 85

LoUIs GATHMANN.

Witnesses: l l

. FREDERIOK 0. GOODWIN,

` IRVINE MILLER. 

